


Back to Me

by LiliKags



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:00:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28671906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiliKags/pseuds/LiliKags
Summary: Y/n and Kenma were dating, until an accident happened. The red string of fate continues to bind them, even to the other side of the universe...
Relationships: Kozume Kenma/Reader
Kudos: 14





	1. Prologue

– Your POV –

You quickly slipped on your sky blue flip flops, which were decorated with cute little plastic bows, and adjusted the backpack on your right shoulder, which you moved from the right to both shoulders, since it was quite heavy.  
“Kenma!” you called your boyfriend, signalling that you were ready to go. You and Kenma were going to meet up with Kuroo, whom the two of you haven’t seen in a long while. The two of you went to a different college than him, and between classes, games, events and other things, not to mention your conflicting schedules, there was barely any time to meet up. Luckily, both of your schools had break at the same time, and you were going to spend a few days there with them.

He got up from the couch and walked over to you, also slipping on his shoes at the entrance of the apartment you both shared and continuing to play Fire Emblem on his Nintendo switch. You checked you had the most important things in your bag, which he had given to you on your birthday last year, and you used it out to just about everywhere ever since. You opened the door, holding it open for him, and locked it as he got outside. You made sure it was locked, and the two of you started walking to the elevator, which led to the large parking lot, where your car was.

You listened to the sound of your flip flops hitting the floor of the hallway as you scrolled through your phone. It wasn’t long before you reached the elevator, and you pushed the “down” button. You turned to Kenma. He was still playing Fire Emblem. You giggled a bit, finding his frustrated expression cute. Hearing your laugh, he looked in your direction, away from his game. The elevator opened, and you checked to see if anyone came out before going in. It was only proper etiquette to let those inside go out before going in yourself. You found no one in there, so you walked right in, also tugging Kenma’s sleeve to get his attention and tell him that the elevator was there.

The two of you walked on, both on your devices. The elevator was quiet; there was only the two of you. You could hear the clicks from the buttons being pressed from his switch, and you focused on that. You were excited to visit Kuroo, since you missed hanging out as a group of three, but you had a bad feeling. You shook it off though, as you thought, “What could really go wrong?”

You, Kenma, and Kuroo had been friends for a long time, for as long as you can remember. The three of you always went to the same school, and you had always helped them out with volleyball. You weren’t able to become their manager in high school, since you had to go to cram school when school ended, but you managed to go to most of their games.

As the door opened to the garage parking lot, you walked out, slipping your phone into your bag and tugging Kenma’s sleeve once again, signaling that he had to walk again. He followed behind you, both of you knowing the way to the parking space. You had reserved a parking space for the car you shared. You figured you didn’t need another, since there were lots of other ways to get around and often times, only one of you would need it or you would be there together.

You started the car, putting in the keys and of course closing the door, while making sure Kenma closed his. You almost always drived between the two of you, since Kenma wasn’t particularly fond of it. “It’s too stressful,” he’d say. Once you made sure everything was all set, you backed out of the space, carefully looking behind you while still focusing on what you were doing. You pulled out of the parking lot, which led you to the Main Street. You looked both ways and waited for a good time to enter. You didn’t have to wait long, since it wasn’t particularly busy.

You turned on the radio; it was always nice to hear some music when driving. You navigated through the city with the help of your GPS, though you didn’t need it too much. You were familiar with the streets, but it was always nice to have the GPS confirm that where you were going was the right way. You always paid special attention to the stoplights, always attentively looking for when the light would turn green. You waited for the light in front of you to turn green, and as soon as it did, you turned left. You were absolutely sure the lane beside you was still on red, but the car at the front, which was facing the left side of the car, the side you were on, and it started to move. You tried to drive as fast as you could without hitting anyone, but you were hit by the car first. You hoped the airbags would pop out on time, but you never felt them and instead hit your head from the impact. The last thing you felt was Kenma’s left hand touching your right, and you passed out.


	2. Recovering Memories (Part 1)

– Your POV–

You didn’t know when you started getting those dreams. They kind of just appeared- and one day, you sort of put them together. The dreams you got every day told a story- a very long story. It was the story of a girl in a fantasy world. Well, it wasn’t a fantasy world to her, but it did seem like a fantasy story to you. The world worked so differently than the one you lived in- it amazed you. The incredibly tall buildings and fast-paced lifestyle stood out to you the most- you thought that it was amazing how someone could live like that. You loved the mix of traditional culture and modern style, and you thought that it would be cool to live in a city like that. Sadly, that was all a part of your dreams, and you couldn’t go there.

“Lady (y/n), it is time for you to visit the temple,” one of your maids, Elisa, reminded you. You were the daughter of Duke and Duchess (l/n), and you were highly revered because of your status. You went to the temple every month, receiving the words of the Goddess from the High Priest about anything important. Well, anything the High Priest said would be automatically important. You didn’t like going to the temple. It took so much of your day just to get some words. Honestly, you didn’t even believe in the Goddess. You thought that some person long ago came up with the whole story for some power. Well, it worked.

“Yes, thank you for reminding me, Elisa. Do you have my dress prepared?” you sat up from your bed, which could probably fit 3-4 people comfortably and was also adorned with intricate designs- too fancy in your opinion.  
“Yes, I have it prepared. Lila and Celia should be bringing it right about now,” Elisa looked behind her to call for Lila and Celia. Just a few moments later, the two maids entered your massive room, and they started dressing you up.

You were used to this, since you had to go through this since you were young, but it still irritated you. You felt like you could be doing something else, something more productive. It was almost like when you had to do something, almost everything else looked more attractive. In your case, it was sitting down and being dressed and fixed up by your maids. You suddenly wanted to do the studying you had put off, and even replying to letters from possible suitors seemed more pleasing- even though you usually hated that.

After what felt like forever, the three maids were finally done with your dress, hair, shoes, and makeup. It took a few hours to do, and the whole time, you wished you could be doing something else, but you obviously couldn’t. You were finally able to walk, and so you got up and stretched a bit while waiting for the carriage that was supposed to take you to the temple. It arrived soon after, and you got onto it, sitting across from your three maids. They were ordered to follow you everywhere, to ensure your safety and comfort. Though, it sort of did the opposite with your comfort- it was weird to have people following you around all day. You had started to feel that way when the dreams of the girl in the strange world began, and it never went away.

The ride was another bore. There was absolutely nothing to do other than staring through the window, which you did every time. It was pretty much the same view every time, just in different months, but you had gone there on the same route so many times it wasn’t even interesting. Once you arrived at the temple, you walked in like you usually did and greeted the nuns, who led you to the High Priest.

They led you to the same room they led you each time. You were familiar with the temple like your own home, having gone there 12 times a year for your entire life. The room they led you to was a waiting room, the white walls decorated with gold patterns and carefully drawn paintings, the floor holding wooden chairs with white cushions, which were embroidered with patterns considered tribute to the Goddess. You sat on one of them, taking a sip of the tea that was just poured into the cup in front of you. You sipped on it as you waited for the High Priest, also eating some of the cookies place on the table in front of you.

You waited for about half an hour, and the High Priest came in, greeting you with a handshake like usual and leading you to the prayer room, which was as grand as could be. The dome-shaped ceiling made it seem like it was 3 floors from the top of the dome to the floor, and it was painted with drawings of supposedly the Goddess and her great deeds. Stained glass which made beautiful patterns adorned the walls of the praying room, along with gold patterns and carvings.

The two of you walked to the middle of the room, and you started the ritual. You knelt down with one knee propped up and your head facing downwards, and in front of you, the High Priest stood, his hands folded together and his head facing up, his eyes closed. That supposedly helped him hear the voice of the Goddess better. You didn’t believe in that though; it all sounded like lies to you and you didn’t even believe in the Goddess anyways.

You sat there for what felt like an eternity, thinking about what you were going to do when you got back home. Well, you knew it would already be late at night when you arrived back, so it was really what you were going to do tomorrow. You had started to study the way in the girl in your dreams did, which you found much more effective than the methods you were taught. It was a bit harder and more focused, but it saved you a lot of time. Of course, you couldn’t imitate all of the ways, as some used gadgets specific to her world, but you adapted them into what you could do and that worked fine. You also planned to write those letters. At this point, you didn’t care if you sent the same message to each of the suitors- you were going to reject them all anyways and you barely knew them, so why would you put in all the effort to write them each personalized messages? You started to form the message in your head, mapping out an outline of it and some of the main points, more like excuses, you were going to say. You didn’t plan on getting married yet, and you decided you wanted someone who truly loved you, not some guy wanting your position and status. Plus, you were one of the Queen’s Candidates, which was given to each of the daughters of the Dukes and some outstanding people they found elsewhere from other houses.

You were just about done with the outline with the letter when the High Priest called your name, “(y/n).” You looked up at him, eager to get this over with. You honestly didn’t care what he had to say at this point; it was usually some stuff on what events will happen to you this month and what to look out for.  
“You are soulmates with the Prince,” he said, with a serious face. You held back your laughter. “What?” you thought. “That’s ridiculous.” Intrigued, you decided to listen to the rest of what he had to say.

“You are bound by the string of fate. Even when the Goddess tried to separate you, the string held you together, even between worlds. You’ll meet him at the party.” You blinked. That was all? You weren’t going to get any other clues on who this soulmate person is or where you’ll meet or anything? You caught yourself staring into space for a moment, and you quickly brought yourself back to reality. You thanked him for the words the same as always and walked out the door of the room a bit faster than usual, eager to try to figure out who your soulmate was.


	3. Recovering Memories (Part 2)

–Kenma’s POV–

Kenma sighed as he heard the maids shuffle around the room. Since forever, he’s hated having the maids around him all the time. He used to like them- they were the only people around him constantly, and they were like a mother figure to him. It was only until he started remembering his dreams. It was about a boy who lived in a place very different from the kingdom. Everything seemed to go by so fast; there were so many things to do. Too many, in his opinion.

It seemed much more technologically advanced than the kingdom, even though it was the most advanced to date. Long vehicles drove underground or on rails raised above the ground, faster than anything currently experienceable. They had machines that looked like birds and soared through the skies, and a carriage-like mode of transportation which everyone could use. People barely had time for their hobbies as they grew older, their time occupied by things like school and work.

The foods were different too; there was a lot of rice, sometimes served along with a meat or fish of some sort and some vegetables. People drank a variety of sweetened beverages, mostly bought from a cafe. They lived in homes that would be considered unreasonably small in the kingdom, but was normal there, and the people living in them seemed fine. Many grew to ages older than the oldest ever alive recorded in history, and he figured it was because of the advanced lifestyle and medicine they lived.

If Kenma were to decide if he wanted to live there or live his life as the prince, he would choose that place in a heartbeat. The culture was more conservative and respectful, which he liked, and he would be relieved from his royal duties, given to him upon birth. He would have different responsibilities, but those seemed preferable compared to what he had to deal with now. He had lessons, along with “practical training”, designed by his father. He was to learn from textbooks along with getting real experience, though Kenma believed that it was just a way for him to give a bit of his own duties to him.

The maids prepared him for his day, bringing his outfit for the day and fixing his hair. It was common style to have it long and in a ponytail, and as much as he wanted to take it out of his ponytail and leave it down, he couldn’t. He would be scolded for his behavior by his ethics and behavior tutor, which he rather wouldn’t hear. It was always scary with him, and being yelled at was always worse. It was probably why his father chose that particular tutor for him, to scare him into listening to what he said.

When the maids were done, he left his room and met his bodyguard outside. Anywhere other than his room, he was to be by Kenma’s side to protect him from any danger. Kenma knew there wasn’t a need for having his own personal bodyguard when there were guards stationed at every corner, but he understood that it made sense to the people that he would have a bodyguard of his own. After all, he was the first and only prince of the kingdom.

With being a prince came its duties, learning from the most prestigious scholars and tutors being one of them. He still had lessons every day, despite having had them ever since he could remember. He absolutely hated them; being around his teachers was emotionally draining and he never wanted to put in the effort into studying something he had absolutely no interest in. Nonetheless, there was nothing he could do about it. He walked with his bodyguard, who was named Felix, to the study room, where the tutor would come and give their lecture on the topic they were hired to teach. He had one subject today, as his father had given him a lot of “hands-on training” today- he was to prepare a meeting with foreign diplomats and make a deal benefiting the kingdom with them. He believed that this was an important part of being a king- dealing with foreign peoples- and around his age, he should be exposed to this already.

Dreading the day ahead, Kenma walked into the study room, sitting down on the chair behind the large, wooden desk in front of a window that covered the majority of the wall behind him, which looked over the rose garden. It was built for his grandmother, who loved roses when she was alive. He never got to meet her, but his parents talked about her a lot and she seemed favorable compared to them. He would rather be raised by her than his parents, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

The tutor was already there, reading a book by the chalk board on one of the walls. He leaned on the wall as he read the book, putting it down as Kenma walked in. He then greeted the prince and started his lesson, writing what he needed to on the blackboard using a small piece of chalk. Kenma didn’t pay much attention as usual, his mind on other things. He dreaded what would come later, and he didn’t feel like doing anything. His mind trailed off, thinking about other things. What he really would like to do was play the games he saw in his dreams. They seemed much more interesting than anything available to him. It was so much more interactive, so much more enthralling.

Soon enough, the class was over, and the teacher took his leave after asking if he had any questions about the lecture. Of course, Kenma had none; he didn’t want to talk to him. He nodded and thanked him for the lesson as always, common courtesy. He then left the room after tidying his “notes”, which were just scribbles of things that randomly came to mind. Sometimes, he actually made some kind of notes, but most of the time it was random things he thought about during class.

Walking alongside his bodyguard, he made his way to one of the grand dining rooms he most often used to have his meals. It was close to his quarters and study area, which is why he used this particular one. His father figured it would be easier to have all of the places he needed to be in one part of the palace, so he had a dining area arranged. He, his father, and his mother had lunch together sometimes, when they could attend. Whether or not they came, he was expected to be there. He would have to wait for a certain amount of time, in case they were late, and if they didn’t end up coming, he would just eat on his own. Well, not really on his own, because there were several maids and cooks nearby to accompany him. All he wanted was some time alone to himself; he always wondered why he couldn’t.

As he arrived in the grand hall decorated with luxurious furniture carefully laid out on the carefully-crafted wooden floor and intricate paintings and carvings which adorned the walls, he sat in his chair, which was across his mother’s and next to his father’s, which was at the head of the table. The table was definitely not built for only three people- more like 10- but it was used nonetheless. He found a ridiculously fancy dish laid out in front of him. It was more like art than food, and Kenma hated how fancy it had to be. He liked it simple, something he wouldn’t feel bad eating. He felt bad how he just ate something the chef put his whole heart into making, something he assumed he would be really proud. He equated it to an artist and their work- even if you bought a painting from an artist, and you burned it right after, they would be upset.

Well, he knew it didn’t really make that much sense, since food was meant to be eaten, but he still felt that this was the food he wanted. No matter how good the food was, he just wanted something simple he could enjoy- preferably something he could eat while playing games, the ones he saw in his dreams. That would be perfect for him. Even though, he didn’t have much of a choice. He waited for a few minutes for his parents to show up, wanting to just finish the food already and return to his room to relax.

He was just about to eat, when his mother walked into the dining room. She wore a dress fit for a party, with matching heels that made their signature click-clack on the wooden floor when she walked. Her light blue dress was bejeweled with the most expensive gems available in the kingdom, her shoes embellished with intricate designs, and her jewelry made by the most popular jewelers. She always had such an extravagant appearance wherever she went, whether it was just to lunch or a banquet to celebrate an important event. It was her principle that she was to always look presentable, and to her, this was presentable.

Kenma thought this was just plain extra, but this was another thing he couldn’t do anything about. Well, it didn’t really affect him anyways so it didn’t really matter. Soon enough, his father entered the room in is militaristic outfit, his red jacket decorated with medals from his younger days when he led the army. He sat down at the head of the table, immediately starting to eat his meal. To everyone, he was the hungriest there.

“It’s been tough,” he started a conversation. “They won’t back down, and it seems they’re not afraid to wage war. I don’t think we’re ready yet for war- the previous one really took a toll on our troops.”  
“Speed up the recovery process- increase the capacity. We can have Ethan manage the costs.” the queen suggested.  
“I have been. Ethan does great work, just that he’s a little bit slow. His assistants are on break at the moment, so things will be a bit slow at the moment.” he explained, continuing on the conversation. It was just his parents talking for a while, putting in their own opinions. Kenma didn’t want to take part in the conversation, and so he just sat there, eating his food and thinking about the view he could see from the window. It was plaza-type area, with many servants sitting in the benches laid on the sides near various decorative plants. 

He was just about finished with his meal, when his father dragged him into the conversation. Internally, he sighed. He never had the energy to talk to them anymore and he just wanted some time to himself doing the things he wanted. He just needed a break- couldn’t he get that? He tried to make something up for things he didn’t know, make it sound like he knew things. He just had to make it look like he cared.

Soon enough, the conversation ended and the two went back to work and the servants cleaned up the table. Kenma returned to his room to prepare for the representatives he would be meeting that day. If he didn’t do good, his father would probably prepare him more classes and bug him about it, and he didn’t want that. So, he did whatever he could to prepare. He planned out some things he was going to say, and he figured he’d just try his best.

A messenger came by and informed him that the representatives were there, in one of the waiting rooms nearby. He acknowledged the information and headed towards the waiting room they were in. He entered through the large double doors that led to the room and sat down in the large seat across from theirs. A guard was stationed in each of the four corners of the room, and two in front of the doors outside.

He was about to sigh when he sat down, but he knew that it wasn’t proper etiquette. He started off the meeting with some formalities and introductions, some friendly talk- just like he was supposed to. More mistakes meant more extra work to do, so just do it right. He then went on to address other matters, trying to negotiate a deal in his favor. He tried his best, using the best arguments he had come up with in preparation, but nonetheless, he was just a prince growing up and his skill wasn’t as good as professionals trained in this sort.

When the meeting was over, papers signed and agreements finalized, Kenma sighed as the representatives left. Debating had really taken a lot out of him; talking to others definitely wasn’t his specialty. He was more the thinking type, not the type to be good at socializing and convincing others to do something. He just didn’t have that charisma, nor did he really want to try to have it. It was already sunset by the time they had left, which he saw through the window of the meeting room. It was pretty good that he was able to talk to them on a similar level for hours, though that left him quite burned out.

Feeling done for the day, he returned to his room and closed the doors behind him and shooed the servants away, wanting some time to himself. He flopped onto his bed, feeling the cool covers as he closed his eyes, ready for a nap. He rarely had time for a nap these days, but he figured he could take a short one before dinner and Anna, one of his maids, would wake him up when he needed to leave. His breathing slowed, his mind drifting off to wherever it would go when he slept. Within a few minutes, he was just about asleep.

Just then, Anna opened the doors and walked over to him.  
“Your highness, the High Priest is here to see you,” she said, shaking his shoulder to wake him up. Kenma opened his eyes and sighed, “Alright. Tell him I’ll be in the closest waiting room to receive the Goddess’s words in a few minutes.” He sat up and rubbed his eyes a bit, stepping out of bed onto the wooden floor. He slipped on his shoes and fixed himself, then walked over to the waiting room.

As he arrived in the waiting room, he greeted the High Priest, and they sat down across from each other. He told Kenma that he was praying to the Goddess when he heard her voice. He was praying for one of the nuns, who had been pushed off of the stairs and fell down a long stairs. She had some injuries from that, so the High Priest was praying for her to get better. That was when he heard the words “(y/n) and the prince are tied by the red string, invincible even to death.” That was all there was to it, but the High Priest had to tell this to him. The name described was foreign to everyone, but Kenma knew who it was- he had seen (y/n) in his dreams all the time.


	4. Melody of Fate

–Your POV–

For once, you were looking forward to a party. Well, it wouldn’t be accurate to say you were looking forward to the party. It was more like “I guess I don’t mind going; after all, I might meet this ‘soulmate’ of mine, if he even exists, but if not, then, oh well.” You were already awake, reading a novel one of the suitors had sent you. At first, you were going to throw it out, but when you read the first few pages out of curiosity, you couldn’t stop reading. It was a romance novel, obviously, since it was known you loved romance novels, and it was about a girl who made a contract with a demon. Their contract included “no romance with any humans”, but she fell in love with someone.

It was about time to get ready for the party, and you could see the sun starting dim its glow as it prepared for sunset. Your maids entered the room with an elaborate dress, which was adorned with carefully crafted flowers and the finest fabric. You let them change you; after all, this was normal in noble society. Well, the dress is quite difficult to get into, so this time, you actually didn’t mind as you thought of what could happen next in the novel.

After a while, you were all fixed up. You had your lavish dress and makeup on, and your hair had been fixed into a beautiful (hairstyle). You were just about ready to leave when you almost forgot you wanted to wear a certain pair of earrings. You asked Elisa to bring it out for you, which she did right away. No one else had earrings like these; they definitely weren’t in fashion, but you still wanted to wear it anyways. Hanging earrings were in fashion these days, especially since they’re easy to notice, but you went for a more modest look with the accessories. It wasn’t something a noblewoman would usually do, but you were different. The earrings you chose were small (favorite color) studs, nothing fancy and definitely not easy to notice compared to everyone else’s earrings. You saw it in your dreams, all the time, actually. The girl who always appeared in them wore them every day, and it seemed precious to her. After seeing it so many times, you began to wonder if you would feel the same way she did if you got those earrings. There was no logic or reason to it really, but you had them made anyways and decided to wear this to one of the most important parties of the decade, at least to everyone else.

Once you were done putting on your earrings, it was time to get going to the party. You made your way to the front door of your home, and a carriage was waiting for you. You hopped in and looked out the window as the carriage started moving. On the way there, you thought about many topics, from the plants growing on the side of the road to the party itself. It was a party arranged by the Queen herself, so she could meet all the (marriage) candidates she had selected for her son. It was a given that it would be the most lavish party you would ever go to; any party that included the Queen was as elaborate as you could get.

As you arrived at the party, you stepped down from the carriage and heard the click-clack of your heeled shoes for the first time in for what seemed like forever. It was just outside a lavish garden, and tables were carefully laid out in strategic positions where it would not just look good but also be in a location of perfect convenience: no one should bump into it, it shouldn’t fall, it wouldn’t get in anyone’s way. Of course, that much was expected to be planned out- this was a party arranged by the Queen herself. She always made her parties absolutely perfect, and she was definitely known for it.

The sound of your heels on the tiled pathway signaled your arrival as the guards announced, “Lady (y/n) of the Dukedom (l/n) has arrived,” playing a part of the national anthem in your honor. Each of the Queen’s Candidates was given one of those upon arrival, as soon as they stepped onto the stone tiles painted with delicate swirls. You gave a slight smile to the crowd and joined in the party, gravitated to the smell of the food on the tables.

They had pearl-white tablecloth on them, long enough to cover the legs of the table, but also not long enough to cause anyone to tip over it- the right height. You were offered a drink, (favorite drink) by one of the Queen’s servants, and you took it to show some gratitude. You were kind of accepting everything, only thinking about the food you were smelling. After all, food can be your best friend, right? Always there to support you, and you literally need it to survive. You giggled at that thought, and you went to find something good to eat.

Well, everything there was bound to be good. Of course, everything had to be the best at this party. You got yourself a small plate to put a couple of crackers decorated with a variety of ingredients. Those were the light snacks of the party, and they were quite popular among the dukes and duchesses. The plates were impressive as well; they were decorated with fine details of flowers and gold patterns using the finest brush. Each of them, however many there were, was carefully crafted and painted by the kingdom’s best artists. They would definitely catch an extremely high price, one would normally just keep in a curio cabinet, but the royal family of the entire kingdom had the ability to use them at a party.

You were about to take some food for yourself, eyeing one with (favorite dip sauce) on it, which was formed into a beautiful swirl, when someone approached you, “Greetings, Lady (l/n).” You looked behind you to see another Queen’s Candidate, Langelica of the dukedom Barswald. She was the most favored of all of them among the masses, and you could see why. She often went out to commoners festivals and held lavish charity parties to raise money for the poor, often interacting with both commoners and those of a higher social standing. She formed many connections that way, and her name was well known across the country. That wasn’t all though; she was considered a prodigy in studies as well. She had breezed through the curriculum as a young child, allowing her to study subjects much more in-depth than anyone else. That convinced everyone that she was a prime candidate with excellent talents and support from the majority of people.

Honestly, you had no idea why you were even selected as a candidate when Langelica existed. You thought she should be the Queen and that would be the end of it. Done. No need to spend an exorbitant amount of money on various parties and no need to make people put in the time and effort into trying to become Queen when there was basically no competition at this rate. Maybe you were included solely because of your family. All of the daughters of dukedoms had been invited unless they declined beforehand, which no one would dare to do.

You greeted Langelica back with a, “Greetings, Lady Barswald. I see you’re enjoying the party.”  
“Yes, I am. It’s quite magnificent, I have to say. I see you’ve been enjoying the party as well.”  
“Yes, parties made by her majesty are always so enjoyable.”  
“Oh, have you tried the (favorite dip sauce) cracker yet? I heard you like (favorite dip sauce).”  
For a reason you couldn’t see, Langelica continued the conversation for quite a while. You had no idea what her intentions were, but you were honestly getting fed up with her. She was just having a conversation with you, but you would rather be somewhere else. You didn’t belong with a person like her, so why should you be talking to her?

Really, you just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible- but abruptly leaving would be considered quite rude, and you really had no way of ending the conversation in a nice way. Social interaction was a high risk activity, in your mind. A simple sentence could ruin the entire existence of a dukedom or even get yourself killed. Words carried the weight of your entire being in high society, and you really didn’t want to put in the effort. But here you were, in the highest-class party just about anyone there had been to. You couldn’t say anything even if you wanted; she was talking much more than you were, and at this point, it would be quite rude to interrupt. Once she became Queen, who knows what she might do to you. Honestly, you didn’t know if she was the type of person who would remember a conversation with you on a night like this, but you could see it. You didn’t know if you were just being paranoid, but you were scared to end the conversation.

Luckily, it seemed Langelica had read your mind and excused herself to talk to the Queen. You sighed in relief as she walked away in the direction of Her Majesty, and you were finally able to get some food. Your plate was still empty, and the (favorite dip) crackers were almost gone. You reached for the last few to put on your plate when you hit somebody’s arm, making you gasp in surprise, “Oh, I’m so sorry about that. I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings. Are you alright?”  
“Yes, I’m fine. It’s alright; no harm was done,” the lady smiled as she walked away.

You were literally so scared. The look she had in her eyes when she left meant something like, “I’ll talk to you again.” and you were really scared of what she wanted to talk to you about. You had absolutely no idea what her intentions are or what she was planning. Heck, she could be trying to undermine your family. There really wasn’t a reason to, but who knows. This could all be a front. It probably was though; who could really be that perfect?

Anyways, you just wanted to be away from people. No social interaction, no worries about doing or saying something wrong, just being you- and that was your absolute comfort zone. You couldn’t even do that with your own parents. It was by yourself, doing whatever the heck you wanted, without any worries or opinions. In this society, there were always opinions on whatever you did, no matter how inconsequential.

Almost visibly sighing, you made your way over to the garden part, away from all the people. Everyone could be seen in little groups and circles, talking and making it seem like they were the most intelligent person in the world. You knew from experience that it was tiring, and you wondered how they could put up with it so long. Thinking about it made you annoyed, so you tossed it and started thinking about happy things.

The garden was a tulip garden, a flower you thought was quite pretty. They were arranged in a huge tulip, with small benches scattered so people could sit. You wandered through the large tulip, looking at the roses and commenting on them. You talked to yourself, which was honestly better than talking to other people. You could voice your opinion, and no one could criticize you. (because they wouldn’t have heard it)

You were there for who knows how long, losing yourself in your thoughts in the garden. Your feet started to ache after walking so much; you were in heels and walking with heels hurt. Honestly, you almost forgot you were at the party. You were so far from everyone else that you couldn’t hear them anymore, and you had completely forgotten about it.

Sometimes, you liked to sing. You weren’t the best at singing, of course, but you didn’t consider yourself terrible either. Singing wasn’t popular in society. The singing they knew was opera singing, which was way too difficult and in your opinion, not worth it. For the amount of effort put into the song and the enjoyment of listening to it wasn’t at all even slightly balanced. You had no intention of singing opera or even trying to. What you liked to sing was songs you heard in your dreams: songs on the radio, ones the girl listened to, the songs played in malls and public places. To you, those were much more enjoyable. They had a much catchier beat and better lyrics, in your opinion.

The girl in your dreams most often listened to (favorite song), and by this time, you had essentially memorized it. Not just the lyrics, but the beat, the notes, everything. You often sang it when you were able to be alone, which was rare. The girl in your dreams, who you knew like your own self, often sang it as well. She often had her boyfriend listen to her. He looked like he didn’t care, playing games as she sang, but you could tell that he loved hearing her sing. You wished to have someone like that, someone who appreciated that kind of music too. Though, you knew that was quite impossible, since there was no music at this time even remotely similar to those songs. Maybe you could make it possible, maybe.

Singing was one of those things you did when you were happy, one when you felt you could be yourself. And right now, that’s what you felt. You definitely were still at the party, but you were so far away from everyone else that you had completely forgotten about it. Your singing filled the air only you could hear, your brain imagining the beat as you sang. You focused only on singing, and you couldn’t hear the footsteps coming closer.

Before you knew it, one of the most prominent figures of the entire kingdom was standing almost right in front of you, and you didn’t even notice. He listened to the familiar tune, feeling a sense of nostalgia. He knew that song very well, so well, yet he hadn’t heard it before. Then, it clicked.  
“(y/n)…?” the girl’s name was called and you looked at the prince.


	5. Thoughts of Dreams, Dreams of Thoughts

– Your POV –

You were surprised he knew that name. No one else should know that name; you hadn’t heard of anyone having this name besides the girl in your dreams. Nonetheless, why would he be reminded of it? Unless he knew what happened in your dreams, no one else would know. You hadn’t even told your parents, maids, friends- you didn’t tell anyone. It was a secret with you and yourself. The only thing that could be possible was that he had the same dreams as you-

You snapped back to reality when you realized he was being called over by one of his guards. It was apparently time for him to return to the palace. Once he was gone, you figured you should go back home as well. It was a tiring day, and it was late at night. So, you got up and started walking back into the party. If someone asked you where you went, you would just say that you were in the garden for a short walk. That was common, and no one would think much of it.

Many were already leaving or had left already, and you said your goodbyes to people and hopped into your carriage, which had arrived earlier and was waiting for you. You greeted the driver, one of the servants you had known your entire life. He was a nice old man, and you believed that he was now at the age to retire. Yet, he still continued to work. You really thought he ought to retire already, but you heard he has a family he still needs to continue supporting. So, you let it be. You sat down in the carriage, kicking off your heels now that no one would be able to see you. You didn’t even bother to sit up straight. After all, no one could see you anyways, so did it matter?

As soon as you arrived home, you went straight to bed. You changed out of the way-too-fancy dress you wore to the party and into comfortable sleepwear. As soon as you could, you flopped onto your bed and pulled the sheets over. You still kind of wanted to think about what happened, but you were absolutely exhausted and fell asleep instantly.

The first thing you noticed the next morning was how the sunlight entered your room. It was really quite similar to how it entered in the morning in your dreams; it always seemed to wake both you and the girl up in the same way. You thought it was odd, but it could just be one of those rare coincidences. Well, it’s possible. You stretched as you woke yourself up; you felt really very refreshed after a long rest. It was almost noon at this point, the latest you had woken up in years. Well, it did make sense. The party ended at almost three in the morning, and it was absolutely tiring.

You then changed into something a bit more presentable for breakfast, something nobles did in their own homes. Honestly, you thought it was pointless. It was your own home, why do you need to change to outside clothes? It was just way too much effort for a pointless cause. Nonetheless, that was how society was, and you had to follow its rules.

You arrived at the breakfast table, well, now lunch table since breakfast had been over hours ago. You were absolutely starving, not having eaten much at the party and waking up late. You could smell the (favorite food) as soon as you entered, and your stomach growled as you sat down in your seat. You instantly started to eat your food, paying no attention to whatever your parents were saying. They quickly gave up, sighing and letting you just eat.

As soon as you finished, you relaxed and sighed in satisfaction. This was exactly what you needed after last night, and it was wonderful. Paying absolutely no mind to your parents, you left the room and walked back to your room, only thinking about the prince and your dreams. That was the only thing on your mind, and you had come to the conclusion that he had the same dreams as well.

After all, what else could it be? There’s no way someone else could have told him; you haven’t told anyone. You also figured it was something to do with being soulmates with him. Perhaps you shared dreams of something; you didn’t know. Nonetheless, you were interested, and you were going to write to him about it.

“Lady (y/n), a letter from the High Priest has arrived,” Elisa informed you, coming into your room without you knowing. This happened often, and if you told her to stop, she definitely would, but it’s always been like that, so you just let it continue. It’s not like there’s too much to hide from her. Well, it’s always just been one thing, which you were sure was turning into a multitude of things…

You opened the letter as it was handed to you and Elisa walked out. It said:  
Dear Lady (y/n),  
I hope you are doing well. I have informed the queen that you are the prince’s soulmate. In order to prevent an uproar, she has asked the church and the (l/n) family to keep it a secret. You are still required to prove your worth as a queen’s candidate and pass the trials, even though you are the prince’s soulmate.  
May the Goddess bless you, the High Priest  
You sighed as you crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the trash bin by your desk. As if you didn’t predict this would happen. The queen was always like this; she would never really care about soulmates much. She wanted a successor who was capable for the job. You were still fairly certain that she would want you as the prince’s concubine, but you weren’t really a fan of that.

By any rate, you were just tired of this. All of this relating to the queen and the prince and all that soulmate stuff- it was quite draining to think about. But, the soulmate part did pique your interest, especially when he revealed the name of the girl in your dreams. You knew the girl more than anyone else you knew, as if she was your own self. And the fact that the prince knew her name- that was big.

It’s not like you could, or would, meet him to inquire about the details of him knowing what only you should know, so the next best thing would be a letter. Well, just about the only thing you could do if you didn’t want anyone else to know, right? As long as no one questioned why you were sending a letter to the prince, you were fine.

So, you got out a letter paper and pen, thinking what you were going to write. Just like usual, you wrote an outline of what you were going to say, a common practice taught to all nobles. It would be great if you could just edit what you were writing, but that wasn’t possible with pen and paper. After all, white out didn’t exist, and that was such a shame.

Dearest Prince Kenma,  
Let me introduce myself. I’m (f/n) of the dukedom (l/n). We have met before, at one of your mother’s parties. I am one of the Queen’s Candidates, and also your soulmate. I assume you have been told by the High Priest that you are soulmates with me, and I’m honored.   
I intend to keep this letter short, as don’t wish to occupy much of your time. I do not intend to be rude or nosy; I just wish to inquire as to how you know (y/n)- the girl who lived on Earth. You most likely have questions for me as well, and I will try my best to answer a few of them.  
The girl started appearing in my dreams years ago. Through these dreams, I got to know her. I know her in and out; I can completely relate to her at this point. And by coincidence or not, both you and her boyfriend have the name Kenma.  
I did say I was going to keep this letter short, and I keep to my word. Please do not feel obliged to reply; if you do not wish to, I completely understand.  
With all respects to the royal family, (y/n) (l/n).

You sealed the letter with a wax stamp of your family’s emblem and handed it to Elisa, telling her, “Please make sure this gets to the prince and only the prince.” Elisa nodded and went to make her preparations, leaving the room. You sat back in your chair and sighed, awaiting a response.

It was only a few days, less than a week, when Elisa came into your room with a reply. You hurriedly opened it and read it so fast you were basically skimming it, but you completely got him. He definitely didn’t say much; it was actually shorter than yours, but you got everything implied by the information he gave. Your eyes lit up with the confirmation of him being just like you, who knew about the important things.

You finally felt a connection to someone, a real, true connection. This was something that had never been shared before, and now that you have someone to share it with, it felt as if you already knew each other by heart. You smiled softly and held the letter to your chest. Quite the score, it was.

•*‘¨’*•.¸¸.•*'¨’*•.¸¸.•*'¨’*•.¸¸.•*

Over the next few weeks, you and Kenma exchanged many letters. The two of you talked about whatever events you could think of, along with random, trivial things. He soon became the person you could open up most to, and that was very special to you.


	6. When Mom Tricks Come In Handy

–Your POV–

This was just like a job interview. You were dressed up in something nice, and you came prepared to show yourself off to your “employer”. Of course, this would obviously last much longer than a job interview, but you could just think of it as an extended one. It was just about the same nervousness, the same confidence you had when you applied for a job during your third year of high school.

The moment you entered the room where you met the Queen, most of the confidence hid away somewhere in you and humbleness stepped forward in its place, sitting on top of your feelings of nervousness’s lap. You looked down at the marble freshly polished floor, the carefully painted ceiling, the intricately carved patterns on the walls…

“It’s a pleasure to see you, Lady (l/n),” her majesty started off. She had entered the room without you knowing, which startled you. Oh gosh, I need to start paying more attention to my surroundings.  
“Ah, yes, it’s quite a pleasure to see you as well, your majesty,” you greeted the empress along with a small curtsy. Her majesty always started with light greetings, promptly followed by a short and straightforward talk. You had talked to her a few times before, and she was definitely an intense person.  
“As you know, if we are on the same page, I have called you here to give you the details of the first test,” she started, and you nodded. “I will have you manage the Archon Palace in the North for an entire month. I will visit you every so often, so please be prepared to greet me. You are to be assessed based on your skills in managing the palace both during events and on a daily basis. I have an informant who will inform me of the details. Your test will start when you arrive at the palace and end exactly a month after. That is all.”

You quickly thanked the queen and curtsied, then was escorted out of the room by a servant, who led you to your carriage. You were going home to pack your things and get ready for the test. You hopped into the carriage and sighed, thinking about what you were going to do.

The test was like an open notebook test, used to only assess the application of the knowledge studied. You were definitely nervous; you had never done anything on this scale and it was very new to you. Your mother managed all the household affairs for you, since you had quit studying it a long time ago. But you did manage to go over it over the last few months of cramming, and you could probably relate it to some skills you saw at night.

The (y/n) in your dreams had at least basic skills to survive on her own. Of course, she was taught how to cook and clean and make the place all tidy and presentable. Well, you figured you would use those tips later when you managed the castle, so you wrote down a list of what you could remember and placed it with some other important documents you planned on bringing.

You wanted to pack your things yourself. There was just something special about it; perhaps it gave you the right temporary goodbye to your home that you needed. Or maybe you just wanted to do it because that girl always did it herself, but this is what you wanted to do and you were going to do it. It was definitely weird though, in other people’s eyes. Anyone of your status would just tell their servants to get the things they needed and get on their way, unless they were hiding something. Well, you guessed you were hiding something, but it wasn’t even in the baggage anyways.

You bid your parents a short goodbye as you left for the northern palace, and you slept to the bumps of the road as you made your way there. As soon as you arrived at the palace, you really knew it was really meant to be a long assessment, not some 10-minute pop quiz. The place was a mess- well, it still functioned, but it was still a mess. There was not an ounce of organization to be seen and you instantly wondered who had been in charge of the place before you arrived.

You were escorted to your room; it was actually quite nice. After all, this was a palace. It was made for the royal family, who always lived in such luxury. It was clean enough; the place looked clean and simple, with it just being very clean. That was one thing you liked about this palace, it was clean. There was no dust laying around, no rodents running around, no random stuff sitting around. It was clean and simple, in contrast to the elaborate paintings on the walls and ceilings; you’d have to fix that.

After taking the day to settle in, you familiarized yourself with the place and the staff. You had one of the butlers show you around, taking you to every place on the map you wished to see. It kinda felt like busy work, but it’s not like you could back down now. All that cramming was for this, so you were going to do it. You attempted to speak to the staff, have a nice conversation with them, but nobody bothered to answer respectfully. They gave the shortest answers possible and continued working while you were talking to them. Well, they must be dedicated to their job- or perhaps they were told to act this way, who knows.

At the end of the day, the place was still pretty new to you, but it didn’t feel completely foreign anymore. You were able to assess the situation, and in the morning, you’d tell them what they needed to fix up on- and it was a lot.

The next morning, you got up as the sun rose and you changed into something you had brought from home. It wasn’t too fancy, but still presentable enough for the staff. Honestly, you wanted to wear (your comfort clothes) but you had appearances to keep up. Anyways, after getting ready, you headed towards your new office space. It was pretty nice, you had to say- especially the chair. It was comfier than any of the chairs you had at home, which was awesome. You then wrote out your entire script for what you were going to say to them. You weren’t always up for “public speaking”, but you were in the mood to get things done, so you were going to get things done. Simple as that.

Then, you decided to set up your simple system. Yes, you were going to make a system for these employees. Having good employees was one thing, but managing them was another. If you have good employees, but no organization, no sense of community, everything’s going to be all over the place and nothing will get done. Well, that’s what managers are for, right?

You ordered for the things that needed to be brought to be brought and called all of the servants over. You held your short script that you had made earlier this morning and took a deep breath as everyone piled in.

“Good morning, everyone. I have called this meeting to inform you of the new changes, which will start in three days, as I have supplies that need to be sent here. Now, as I was walking around the palace, I noticed many things about organization that need to be addressed immediately. I understand that it is very different than what you have been previously doing, and I hope you understand how this makes the process of doing your work much more manageable and efficient,” you started. You looked at the faces of the servants. Some of them were intrigued, others looking away and not caring at all.

“First of all, I would like to address some of the organization issues you have here. Everything is all over the place, so I would like you to organize them. First, keep things in one place. Every time something is used, it is to be put back in the same place when it is finished being used. Next, I would like to invest in making the storage rooms much nicer. I saw them yesterday, and they are horrendous. I have just ordered some baskets; use them to organize the items in the storage rooms. Label them as well, so that everyone knows what basket is for which items. I will have Cain (the butler) handle the baskets,” you explained, knowing this seemed pretty new to them. No one was particularly happy, as things were changing to something a bit different, and that was expected. As long as they did their job properly and followed the rules, everything would be fine.

“Next, I would like to introduce a new system. By my office, there will be a large board, where you can sign up for the tasks that need to be done that day. There will not be a set number of tasks you need to complete, but you must all complete everything by the day. I will also assign a leader to each group of servants, who will write me a report every 3 days on the work everyone has been doing. It does not need to be long, but make it a bit detailed; it just helps me make sure everything has been done well.” You heard some sighs, and you knew full well it was more work for them, but you couldn’t be going around all day and staring at them doing their work.

So, you put the system to work, and when the baskets and things arrived, you looked over everything. Honestly, there wasn’t much to do then, if all the reports were all good. Well, that gave you time to plan for the decorations for when the queen would come visit, and so you spent your time doing that.

You researched different popular themes for the palace and selected one you thought her highness might like, though it required the place to be clean. There were way too many items in this palace, for sure. Of course, you could throw away many of them, but that would be such a waste. You could already think of uses for many of them. So, you decided to buy more baskets and hide them in plain sight. That way, you could keep them, and her highness wouldn’t have a clue. It wouldn’t hurt her if she doesn’t know.

∞ ₒ ˚ ° 𐐒𐐚 ° ˚ ₒ ∞

Long days, always. Living in this place was lonely. Sure, there were tons of servants around, but you never felt much of a connection with them. You needed someone you trusted, someone you knew and someone who knew you. The first person you thought of was Kenma, but you weren’t allowed to correspond with him during this time. The Queen would think you were trying to cheat, even if she read what was inside the letters. After all, you hadn’t tried to prepare for years, and suddenly you’re trying when you find out you’re the prince’s soulmate.

You were just about to go to bed. It was about midnight, a bit late, but not really. You were tired from dealing with all the servants; there was a huge fuss about a maid breaking an expensive vase. All of them in the room pointed fingers at each other, and after listening to everyone’s stories, it was so clear that everyone was lying about something. No one’s story matched up with the another’s, so obviously everyone was twisting it for their own sake. You decided that you didn’t like any of the girls in the group and seriously considered just firing the whole lot of them and hiring new ones. Well, in the end, you just let it all go with a warning. All that was really damaged was the vase; that could definitely be replaced. It wasn’t like your budget was too tight; actually it was quite good. The only thing that concerned you was their attitude. These people really need to understand that they can be replaced…

It was about 4 in the morning when you woke up. Cain, the head butler, was literally the only one considerate and pleasant enough to talk to, but he really had to wake you up at 4 in the morning. You only had about 4 hours of sleep; your brain was still taking a vacation and it was truly difficult to force it back out.

As you exited your room in your nightgown, as it was still the middle of the night, you saw Alania, one of the better maids, with a candle outside the door. She led you to the office, where Cain was waiting.

“I apologize for interrupting your rest, Lady (l/n), but her highness has arrived. Please get ready to greet her,” Cain explained.  
“I-” you said in surprise. “Thank you for telling me. I shall prepare right away.”

Your brain flew back to your brain, luckily, and you were pretty alert now. Your gait quickened, as your thoughts raced through your mind. You ordered for the place to be quickly prettied up; there were still a few things that shouldn’t be left in the open, and you told them to hold small things in baskets which were placed as decoration and large things in the storage rooms. It didn’t need to be neat; the place just needed to be presentable.

As the place was being fixed up, you had yourself fixed up. It was much harder in the night, but Alania was skilled and made you look presentable in a matter of minutes. Since you were finished before some parts of the palace were cleaned up, you decided to keep her highness in the cleaner parts as the other parts not yet fully fixed up were worked on.

So, you went to greet her highness at the front of the palace and welcomed her. You apologized for being a few minutes late, though that really wasn’t too uncommon. Nonetheless, you were just being respectful. You led her to a waiting room, where you talked and had some tea. You wondered when you could go back to getting your sleep, but it’s not like you could leave her highness by herself; that would be extremely rude in this society. Casual did not exist, and that was such a shame.

After a while, her highness decided to retire for the night, and you had a room prepared for her. You led her to her room, then once she had closed her door, you started back to your room. It started as a walk, but as the desire to just get back in bed increased, it turned into a faster walk to a run. You sped up the stairs into your room, where Alania had been waiting for you.

You sighed as you slowed down, getting into a chair so that Alania could take off your makeup and accessories for you. They were so fancy you didn’t even know how they worked, so you just let her. She got them off in no time and you changed into your pajamas as soon as they were off and flopped onto your bed. You were very tired by this time, and you instantly fell asleep as soon as you got comfortable.

The next morning, you weren’t awoken by anyone. You expected someone to inform you that her highness was awake, but you figured she wasn’t awake either. She probably didn’t get any sleep until she got to the palace, so it made sense.

Alania knocked on your room when she came by a few minutes later, suggesting a dress for you to wear. You had instructed her to get you whatever dress for you to wear for the time you were in this palace, and she was great at it. You changed into the dress and had her fix up your hair and add on some accessories. Once you were all ready to go, you closed your bedroom door and started to the dining hall.

As you sat at the table, you realized it would be rude to eat without her highness, so you decided to wait as you read a novel you had brought with you, just in case you needed it. It would help pass the time, and it could be used as a conversation starter.

After some time, you heard the steps of a pair of heels entering the room, and her highness appeared. You greeted her as she sat across from you, and breakfast was served. You had small talk with her, making sure to always be respectful. Since you were asked, you showed her around the palace and told her some stories of things that you had to take care of. Gossip was always something women in high society talked about, even the Queen herself.

∞ ₒ ˚ ° 𐐒𐐚 ° ˚ ₒ ∞

You shuffled around the place, bidding your goodbyes to everyone as you hopped into your ride home. It has been a long month… and it was time to go home. You wondered about your results; they’d be released in a couple of weeks. You stared out the window, falling asleep on your way home.


	7. Oh, To Communicate with People who Don't Like You

You woke up just a couple hours before you would arrive home. The ride home was rather peaceful; nothing noteworthy happened as you were sleeping, as much as you were aware. The only thing you were concerned about was that your butt ached, from sitting in the carriage. It didn’t have the best seats, you had to admit. While it was very good compared to some other ones, car chairs were definitely 1000% better, really.

When you arrived home, you were still kind of tired. Well, it was only natural, as you slept in the carriage for only a few hours. So, you went back to your room and took a nap, and you awoke in the evening. It was just about time for dinner, and the chef had prepared (favorite food) for you, which you thoroughly enjoyed. It was a pretty calm day, and it was nice to have.

You spent the rest of the days studying and enjoying your time, doing some of both. There was definitely stuff you could touch up on better, but you didn’t want to spend your time cramming again. Ya gotta live while you’re young, y'know? Work hard, play hard, that kind of thing. It’s important to do both, your parents would always say.

A few days after you arrived back home, you received a letter telling you that the results will be announced in a few days at the palace. So, a few days later, you went to the palace to receive your results.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

When you arrived at the palace, you were led to a small room with exactly enough chairs for all the candidates. You were told to sit at whichever chair you wished, so you sat in the back as to not gather attention. Most of them were already there, though by all means you weren’t late at all. People always liked being early, but everyone really had to be so early, huh. Many of them had small talk between themselves while waiting, but you stared out the window, watching the workers below.

Lots of interesting things happened within the workers. That was probably why gossip was so common among them. Or perhaps that was just a general hobby, you didn’t know. You saw a garden worker cut his fingers on a shear, a young boy who probably was just hired. You wondered why such people were hired; wouldn’t the royal family have only the best workers to maintain their property? Around the same time, a maid rushed through the diameter of the garden, seemingly in a big rush. You had no idea what that was for; she wasn’t holding anything to hint at it. That would be a topic of gossip among them, for sure.

“I apologize for my lateness. Please excuse me,” someone said as they entered the room. You looked towards the door, and you found Langelica there. It was very unlike her to be late; she was usually quite early to any sort of meeting or party.  
“Langelica, may I inquire as to why you are late?” her highness asked.  
“Your majesty, a fight had broken out between two of the guards by the gate; I could not stand there and watch. I had them both disciplined and they would not cause such a ruckus again. They are both in the infirmary for the day and are being taken care of. The incident has been closed,” she answered. She literally had to make that more dramatic, huh. 

“You are excused,” her majesty said, as she turned to face all the girls gathered in the room. “You have been called here today to discuss the results of the first stage. The top three scores have been given to: Langelica-” There was a round of applause for her, very expected. “Daphne,” there was another round of applause, and she curtsied for the crowd. “and Amalia.” There was a last round of applause for Amalia, and the excitement died down within seconds- or perhaps the “excitement” was all fake.

Her majesty continued, “The people I am about to list are those who have passed.” All the girls listened intently, hoping to hear their names. “Asimina, Ismene, Melissa, Faye, and…” All the remaining girls looked at each other, as if saying, “It better not be your name that she calls next.”

“(y/n).”

Everyone but her highness was surprised. You could practically read their minds; it was so obvious. Some had the (y/n)?! I thought she was planning to flunk the test on purpose. I thought she didn’t care for the throne? What’s the change of heart? face, others had the The rumors… they must’ve been true. But why would (y/n) ever just start trying now? Isn’t that strange? look.

Her highness looked pleasantly surprised at the girls’ reactions, then moved on to the next point that all the girls who passed needed to hear, “In the next test, you will be assigned a date at which you will meet with diplomats from different countries. I have chosen them carefully, and I will send you all of those who passed a letter which describes the topic and date for the meeting. You will also be assigned partners for this stage, and you will be informed of them in the letter as well. You are dismissed.”

She nodded and scanned the room for any questions, then left to attend to other things. Everyone soon started leaving too, either their dreams crushed or thinking about the next stage of the competition.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

The day after the meeting, you received the letter. It described that your day would be in exactly one week, and the topic was the disputable western border. Your partner: Langelica. You wondered why she paired you with Langelica. Did she take pity on you? Or was she being harsh and having you compete with Langelica in the same meeting?

You didn’t know, and that didn’t matter. All you needed to do was pass. You sent a letter to Langelica, asking to meet, so that you both would be on the same page when you went to the meeting. She agreed, and you met at a café in town for a lighter mood. The two of you discussed the details and some arguments you could make in favor of the kingdom.

Langelica was like the perfect student; she had basically flawless ideas on paper, and she was known for being good at public speaking. You definitely didn’t have a reputation for any of those, sadly. You would probably be ignored while she debated with the delegates. Well, if it’s a free carry, it’s good right? If it was not, then, well, you didn’t know what you would do.

After a couple of meets, the two of you decided you were alright with what you had worked out and waited for your day to come.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

Langelica was there first, probably a couple minutes earlier. You were pretty early, and it would probably be a waste of time to be any earlier. You sat there with her and went over the details a little bit, then sat in a silence other than the sounds of tea being sipped. You looked at the clock in the corner of the room maybe a little too often, which showed your nervousness. “Lady (L/n), don’t be nervous,” Langelica said, and you nodded.

They were supposed to arrive at 2:30; it was 2:28 and there was no sign of the diplomats. You waited another 5 minutes; no one arrived. Then another 5 minutes, and two old men in suits came through the door.

“Welcome, diplomats of Riles,” Langelica greeted. “I am Langelica of Barswald, and this is lady (f/n) of (l/n).”  
The two diplomats greeted the two of you as well, then the negotiation began. It was a bit more intense that you imagined. Arguing wasn’t exactly your forte, but you managed. Langelica seemed to carry most of it, presenting many of her ideas she had written down earlier. They all seemed very good compromises in favor of the kingdom, while still letting Riles benefit from it a little. Still, the two old men continued to argue. They wanted it more in their favor; that was only natural. The one to back down first forfeits the upper hand in the deal.

With these strangely stubborn customers, you felt you had to help out a little. They told Langelica that she was all paper and no experience, which caught right on. Langelica froze, knowing that this hit very hard to heart. She knew everything by textbook, everything on paper, how everything should go to plan- but she didn’t know how to adapt. Sure, she had several options to go with, but she still figured things had to go her way since they worked out on paper. That’s where you stepped in. You started talking a bit more sense, than some fancy terms you hadn’t really studied that much.

You boiled it down to the simplest thing: they wanted to extend the border to land that was “rightfully theirs”, while the kingdom currently holds it. You presented the history over that land, which you had discussed with Langelica, in the most common sense possible. Instead of using strategies used by famous figures in history that you didn’t understand, you thought cause and effect; if you did this, what would happen?, and you explained it. You told stories of how you thought what would happen to the people living there if they extended the borders, how they would react, etc.- you put them in the people’s shoes. Human emotions are a powerful thing, and people respond to them accordingly.

With that, you and Langelica gained the upper hand in the deal and you went home after dinner. Since the palace was a bit far from both of your estates, you decided to get dinner in town, nearby the palace. You called over a carriage and the two of you found a nice restaurant and ate there. The two of you felt a bit closer now; you had seen Langelica’s weaker side, and she saw a side of you no one else had seen. Langelica seemed a bit more human; you seemed more up-to-standard than others thought. There’s always a side hidden from everyone else.


	8. Free Points? Seems Like It

It was late at night by the time you got home. You didn’t exactly know when, but it was definitely late. The night was still- the moon shining softly down on you, the stars twinkling in the sky, a soft silence filling the air. Mostly everyone was asleep, and you were one of the few awake at this hour. Your parents didn’t even come out to greet you- they must have been sleeping. You peacefully walked to your room, taking in the fresh night air.

You were tired, definitely. The stress from dealing with those stinky old men was definitely taxing on you, like anyone else, and while it was a bit enjoyable talking to Langelica at dinner, it still required much energy and effort. You took off the extravagant accessories on you, feeling the weight being relieved. Wearing jewelry was quite heavy, especially the dense necklaces in fashion these days. The dress was heavy too. All the girls were required to wear dresses- not by law or anything but social standards required that. It was seriously dumb that you would be ridiculed not for wearing something fashionable aka a fancy, in-style dress. If you wanted to wear something not in fashion at the moment, you were to either make it a fashion trend or just not wear it. You missed (comfort clothes) so bad, it was the most comfortable thing ever to wear. You really appreciated how comfortable modern 2000’s+ fashion was.

With your more comfortable nightgown on, you were finally relaxed, the fatigue really sinking in. Its looseness let a slight breeze through, much different and definitely preferred than the tight-fitting dress you had worn all day. Clothes did not take the shape of your body, your body took the shape of the clothes. You climbed into bed, getting into (favorite sleeping position), and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, you woke up hungry, though you had eaten a good amount last night, out with Langelica. That didn’t matter; you were going to eat breakfast right away. You changed into a simple dress for being at home, which was common, and almost ran all the way to the breakfast table. You ate the food being served to you, which was delicious as always, and went about your day normally- hanging out, reading some good novels, perhaps a bit of reviewing if you felt like it. After waiting a while for everyone to finish their part of the test, you received a letter, as usual.

Dear Lady (y/n),  
You have passed the second test. The next test will take place within the next month. You will have the last week of the test. This will be a compatibility test; you will stay with Kenma for a week, and he will decide the outcome of the test.  
Queen Kozume

The letter was short and concise, exactly like her highness. It was a very effective way of communicating, after all, as long as the receiver knows that the sender means no hostility. This was free points, literally. It was like having an open notebook test on something you had learned your entire life. Well, you didn’t learn about him your entire life, but you know him so well, like the back of your hand. Maybe even better, what was there to know about the back of your hand?

There was one question though: how would you act? You really wanted to act casual with him, just like in your dreams- chilling on the couch, playing games while snuggling in the futon, making apple pie with him. You had essentially accepted that the person in your dreams is you after all; you had the same name, personality, and memories is what makes a person, right? You would be best with that, but how would the public think? Everyone expected something business-like, something professional. Imagine if the crown prince and a lady from a dukedom just locked themselves in a room for a whole week. It was inevitable, the rumors. Rumors were hard to clear, especially if there was no one really to see it. The servants loved to talk among themselves, and anything they don’t know, they’d speculate and the rumors would spread.

You didn’t want to deal with them, Kenma wouldn’t want to deal with them, no one would want to deal with them. And maybe you could be kicked out for creating them- but who knows. Everything that happens in high society is dramatic. You figured that you’d talk it out with Kenma on the first day, and you’d go from there.

image  
You and Kenma were given a palace to spend together, whoa. Perhaps the queen wanted to give you some privacy? Or maybe Kenma had it arranged, you didn’t know. You were surrounded by servants all day, which honestly couldn’t be more tiring. They do nothing but talk in their free time, no other hobbies. Maybe you had to put in more work back in the modern age, but that freedom was priceless. This high society was as restricting as could be, allowing for no expression of individuality. You had to follow the trends, or you’d be kicked out.

You and Kenma needed ONE private talk, to sort things out, then you would know where you’d be headed and what kind of actions to take during this “trip”. You decided it would be at night, when many of the servants would be asleep and only a few on night duty. So, on the first day, you acted like you would act to any other guy. It was painful, really. You just wanted to snuggle up next to him, feel his warmth, take in his scent, something you hadn’t done in forever, put your arms around him in a tight hug, playing games together in the futon, simply just relaxing and having a good time. But no one knew the extent to which you were familiar with each other, and you wish everyone understood what happened, but even if you told them, they wouldn’t believe you.

When night came around, you snuck around to an empty room nowhere near any of the servants. You’d secretly arranged this with him, it was like a break from society. You planned on being yourselves for a bit, sort of a breather from this mess of a society. You waited a bit for him, as you were a bit early, and when he came around, you gave him a hug. It was honestly the best hug you have had since what felt like forever, and you felt so grateful that you could hug him like that again. You had brought a blanket with you, and you used it to keep warm while you talked. You snuggled with him while the two of you figured it out, and you ended up with an agreement that would go with something like “With the body language they’re showing, they must be very comfortable together.” and you’d speak with him casually too, as if you’d known each other for a long time. (well, you have, just not to everyone else’s minds)

image  
Since video games and other fun sorts of media were not longer available, Kenma decided that board games were fun. Sure, they didn’t have the same excitement, but they weren’t too bad either. So, the two of you ended up playing board games and talking about random things for the majority of the time. It was actually kind of enjoyable; it was relaxing in a way and there weren’t many things to worry about, which was really nice. The two of you did really nothing spectacular, and to pretty much most people, the winner would probably be Langelica in this stage too, and the overall winner. She was really good at convincing the public, and while that could get the public’s support, she would need Kenma’s support, which you knew you had. It was nice to know that there were ways that Langelica wasn’t better than you.

And so, your time together had to end after the designated week. You went back home and waited for the results to come out…


	9. That's My Decision

– Kenma’s POV –

His mom had given him a week to decide- a week to settle on a lifelong partner. That didn’t really seem like much, but to most people during that time, getting a choice would be a blessing. Most marriages were often arranged by parents, who took several factors into consideration when choosing a partner for their child. It was common belief that one should trust their parents, and the parents must choose a partner best for their child. Children sometimes had a say with the decision, but it really depended on the family. In any case, it was rare for anyone to choose their own spouse.

Kenma had an easy decision- really there wasn’t anything to “debate” on, really. Sure, Langelica could probably help him with his work better than y/n, but he figured he and y/n would be able to figure it out. After all, y/n was responsible (enough), and nothing really seemed to change too much. He felt no connection with Langelica, and he couldn’t really care. Probably, with y/n’s last letter to him describing her and Langelica’s recent pleasant conversations, he’d have her as an advisor or something; that would be good. Plus, he and y/n were soulmates, shouldn’t that be enough of a reason?

He absolutely hated where he was going- well, more like what he was going to do. He knew he had the final say, but it was just really hard to say, “I chose y/n and that’s it.” He absolutely knew his mom was going to try to persuade him to choose someone else, probably Langelica or even Daphne- he saw his mother show some partialness to Daphne at some times.

As he entered his mother’s office, he took a look at one of the guards with a nervous face, which almost said, “Uh-”, and took a seat on one of the fancy chairs she kept in this room. She got to him right away after she sent a guard to deliver some papers she had just signed.

“You’ve decided, yes?” she started, with a serious expression. Anyone could tell she was expecting one of the few people in her mind.  
“Yes. y/n- I chose y/n,” Kenma said, expecting some sort of look of disappointment from his mother’s face. The queen wasn’t particularly surprised, but she was definitely thinking, “Why?” She knew y/n and Kenma had seemed to share some kind of bond, somehow, which she never really understood, other than thinking that it must’ve had to do with the whole soulmate thing.  
“Oh? Why?” she crossed her arms and leaned back, ready to listen to a whole story of “excuses”.

Kenma brought out the reasons he had brought to the table, while being interrogated by his mother. She was sharp, always finding some sort of hole in the argument. Most debatable topics had some sort of hole, weak point, etc.- and she had the ability to find that weakness in the point. One could say it was perceptiveness. The more he talked about y/n, the more he revealed about the bond you two had. He tried using the soulmate excuse, but his mother wouldn’t believe in the whole excuse thing. Even though she had heard it herself from the High Priest, she still believed that a Queen was to be made from hard work, not something decided by the Goddess. She still believed in her, as that was her religion, but she was not as religious as everyone else.

Kenma had brought up the point of “y/n knowing him very well”, and his mother crossed her arms once again, “Oh?” He knew he messed up and had to tell her. Well, it would be a good argument point anyways. So, he lowered his guard, and started to tell her his whole past- the secret he and y/n had shared. He was nervous about telling her, but it would really help him win the argument. With telling the story, actually quite messily but still getting the point across just fine, his mother started to believe him a bit, especially with the “it happened because we’re soulmates” reason for reincarnation.

The Queen still wasn’t sure if her son was making it up- she had no idea why he would choose y/n out of all the options he had, and she didn’t necessarily trust y/n as much as Langelica. It could have been a scheme by her parents, people whom she didn’t trust as much as well. Giving up on the position long ago and suddenly working hard for it- seemed suspicious to her.

– Y/N’s POV –

You were reading some novels in your room. It was the closest you had to anything immersive; video games, social media, light novels, anime- those weren’t available and that was just sad. Well, there wasn’t anything you could do about it anyways. The only thing you could do was do the best you could and find an interesting novel to read. The most popular trope these days was the one about a commoner becoming a princess- which probably described the mass’s desire to become rich and royalty. Well, having money would be nice, you supposed.

“Lady y/n, her majesty has arrived,” Elisa informed you.

“Wha-” you blinked, not expecting this at all. Results were supposed to come at around this time, yes, but it was to be sent out by mail. For what reason would she have to come here herself, in person?

You hurried to the front door to greet her immediately, not caring how frantic you looked to the servants. You told them to prepare some tea in the guest room, anything was fine. You caught your breath as you neared the front door, as to not look as frantic in front of her highness, and greeted her with a curtsy, “Welcome, your majesty.”

She greeted your back with a quick nod, less than what she would usually do. That really couldn’t be good. You led her to the guest room, anxious to hear what she had to say to you. The small amount of words she was speaking was unusually small, which was definitely scary. The two of you sat down and the tea was served.

“I have a question,” she started off, taking a sip of her tea. You nodded. “How close are you with Kenma?”

You took a long sip of your tea. Does she know? Did he tell her? You really didn’t have much of an idea, but the look in her eye told you “I know something here”. So, you decided to start general, and work your way to the point. You started off with what people already knew, so the lady sitting across you changed her question, “Do you believe in soulmates?” With that question, you were really sure about what she wanted to know. Lying would definitely be counted as treason, and the punishments for treason…. were not pretty to say the least.

And so, you told her like you would a story. You started from the beginning, working your way through your history. At first, you started off a bit general; there wasn’t much need to go into much detail anyways. You described how you first met when you were at school. You saw him around sometimes, but you really never talked to him that much, until you joined the boy’s volleyball club as their manager. You didn’t really want to be interrogated; it would be best if you could say as much as she wanted, but no more and no less, though you did get a bit sidetracked and told a couple more than enough funny stories of little antics and pranks that happened within the team. You started to talk with more affection, expressing your care for each one in the team, especially for Kenma when you got to him. You also ended up expressing your gratitude to Yaku, who literally saved your sanity by taking care of the rest of the rambunctious boys on the team.

She listened on with a straight expression on her face, which one could tell that she was also thinking about Kenma’s story. She was definitely thinking about how they lined up; this wasn’t made up at all. And some of the ideas described and lifestyle were so different than in the kingdom that she doubted that anyone could come up with a life like that. One would need to be an extraordinary author to do so, especially because it just seemed so foreign to the ideas of the time of the kingdom.

By the time you were done, it was already time for dinner, and you could smell the food waiting for you. It was one of your favorites, (fav meal), and you couldn’t wait. You invited your guest over for dinner and she refused, saying that it was time for her to head back to the palace. You waved her goodbye, and headed to the dining room for dinner.

A couple of days later, you received an invitation to the palace. You headed there, expecting to see all the other remaining candidates there, but you were the only one led into the waiting room. Perhaps she wanted to see you individually. After a few minutes, Kenma walked in, surprisingly, and sat next to you. Her highness showed up too, and smiled warmly, “Congratulations.” He rested his head on your shoulder, continuing to fiddle with the marble maze thing that he had discovered recently. You smiled softly at him, missing the physical affection the two of you had before.


	10. Epilogue

You didn’t hate it- being all dolled up in makeup and a dress which weighed probably 5 pounds. You usually would, but today was too much of a special day for you to care. This was something you wanted to experience back home, more preferably on a bit of a smaller scale, but this was fine. At least it was happening. You felt pretty, you looked pretty. No, you looked gorgeous. This was your (both of your’s) special day, it had to be good.

Somehow, it wasn’t boring. They took forever to fix up your hair perfect, but it didn’t want to get up every 10 seconds. You waited hours for your nail polish to dry, but your mind was somewhere else; it didn’t feel like you were wasting your time. It was a bit too difficult to put on your dress, but you weren’t annoyed at it. Today wasn’t the day to think about those things. There was something greater, something bigger right in front of you.

As you walked towards your destination, you could the eyes of everyone attending on your steps as your heels clicked on the path, in the air as you breathed out. But all of that didn’t matter. What mattered was who you met at the end of the path, who was waiting for you. As you reached the altar, a blush formed on your cheeks, and you smiled at the one who was to be your husband.

“Kenma, do you take (Y/N) as your wife?”  
“I do.”  
“(Y/N), do you take Kenma as your husband?”  
“I do.”  
“You may now kiss the bride.”


End file.
